AN IRISH, SPANISH and Dutch/Iranian crime grouping had come together to run a sophisticated high-tech failed operation to import €58m into Ireland, the Special Criminal Court heard today.

In the second day of a sentence hearing before the three judge court sitting in Dublin Inspector Joseph Young was outlining the garda evidence gathered in the case. 

The accused who have pleaded guilty are: Dutch national Kiumaars Ghabiri (52), Spanish nationals Mario Angel Del Rio Sanz, (45), of no fixed address, Juan Antonio Gallardo Barroso, (56), of no fixed address, Pedro Pablo Ojeda Ortega, (36), of Cadiz; Angel Serran Padilla, (40), of Malaga; Anuar Rahui Chairi, (42), of Marbella; and Serbian national Aleksander Milic, (46).

The men are charged with conspiracy to take possession for sale or supply of the cocaine under Section 15a of the Misuse Drugs Act. 

Today the court heard the nature of the cell structure of the team that came together to carry out the scheme.

Young said that he considered the drugs trafficking conspiracy to be based around cooperative cell structures. 

He said the Dutch/Iranian cell played a role which was specific to the logistical part of the enterprise. 

Young showed several exhibits of photographs and CCTV of different gang members making their way to Ireland on flights from Lisbon and the UK as well as a ferry from Scotland to Northern Ireland.

CCTV was also gathered of them buying equipment and downloaded seized phones which showed them taking selfies on their travels in Ireland, in the UK and in the Netherlands. In one picture there was even tourist pictures of Big Ben in London. 

In download there was a group photograph, at a location in the Netherlands, gang members were seen sitting smiling around a table. 

There was also evidence from Inspector Young that the high-powered and stealth style Rigid Inflatable Hulled Boat (RHIB) had been transported into Ireland inside a heavy goods truck. Its three 300 horsepower engines had been purchased by the criminals in Portugal. Images were shown of a rental truck used to transport the RHIB’s engines across Europe. 

The RHIB was brought into the country through Rosslare from Dunkirk. Gardaí learned that it was intended to be held in a commercial premises in Swords Co Dublin but later it travelled onto Omagh in Co Tyrone where the haulage company that owned a large articulated truck used in the operation was located.   

Young told the court that the Spanish crew members were generally hired hands working as specialists in fast boat transfers.

Each of the team had separate jobs including, for example, Milic who was making sure the fuel was clean – he was also, the garda said, acting as a “notary” for the Irish crime group involved in the operation. 

There were others who were mechanics for the engines as well as other experts.   

The court was told that the RHIB crew were at sea in very challenging conditions for close to 48 hours. While there were specialist seats for the other crew members, Milic was forced to sit elsewhere in the high speed craft and this caused him to require dental treatment on his return. 

Ultimately the court was told the RHIB never met the mothership Cool Explorer due to the bad weather conditions. It traveled onto its ultimate destination of St Petersburg but dumped the drugs near Jutland on the coast of Denmark. 

The drugs found there had a GPS tracker on board which showed that it matched the Cool Explorer’s route. 

Gardaí also found screenshots pictures in the phone gallery of devices used by the gang arrested by the detectives in Cork that showed geolocation images of mapping that included pins of locations off Denmark.

Other data on the phones seized by the gardaí were videos of reconnaissance of locations by gang members.

During cross examination by Senior Counsel Elizabeth O’Connell, who is representing Mario Angel Del Rio Sanz, Young described the nature of the crime as being “failure in attempt but not failure in the intent.”

When the barrister put it to the Inspector that his client was offered a payment of €15,000 to work in the trafficking operation he said he agreed that the Spanish crew members were “hired for a fee”. 

The State’s evidence has ended and the defence barristers will continue their mitigation tomorrow before the court will adjourn to a sentencing date.